# 探

| 探 | U+63A2, &#25506; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-63A2 |
| ← 採 [U+63A1] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 掣 → [U+63A3] |

## Translingual
### Han character

探 (Kangxi radical 64, 手+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 手月金木 (QBCD), four-corner 5709$_4$, composition ⿰扌罙)

#### Derived characters

* 𠽄

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 438, character 14
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 12276
* Dae Jaweon: page 788, character 12
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1907, character 6
* Unihan data for U+63A2

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

| | Old Chinese |
| 探 | *l̥ʰuːm, *l̥ʰuːms |
| 棎 | *ɦljom |
| 賝 | *l̥ʰum |
| 琛 | *l̥ʰum |
| 穼 | *srum |
| 深 | *hljum, *hljums |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *l̥ʰuːm, *l̥ʰuːms) : semantic 扌 (“hand”) + phonetic 𥥍.

### Etymology

As the initial of the 罙 phonetic series is uncertain, 探 (tàn) may be related to 深 (shēn) (provided the initial was *nh-) (Schuessler, 2007).
Alternatively, this agrees with Mizo tham (“to feel (especially with the hand)”).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): tàn, tān (tan$^4$, tan$^1$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄊㄢˋ, ㄊㄢ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): taam$^3$ / taam$^1$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): tâm / tham
* Eastern Min (BUC): tăng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): thàm / tham
    (Teochew, Peng'im): tam$^3$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$thoe
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): tan$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: tàn
*** Zhuyin: ㄊㄢˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: tàn
*** Wade–Giles: tʻan$^4$
*** Yale: tàn
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tann
*** Palladius: тань (tanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰän⁵¹/
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: tān
*** Zhuyin: ㄊㄢ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: tan
*** Wade–Giles: tʻan$^1$
*** Yale: tān
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tan
*** Palladius: тань (tanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰän⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: taam$^3$ / taam$^1$
*** Yale: taam / tāam
*** Cantonese Pinyin: taam$^3$ / taam$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: tam$^3$ / tam$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰaːm³³/, /tʰaːm⁵⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tâm / tham
*** Hakka Romanization System: dam$^ˊ$ / tam
*** Hagfa Pinyim: dam$^1$ / tam$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /tam²⁴/, /tʰam⁵⁵/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: tăng
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰaŋ⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thàm
*** Tâi-lô: thàm
*** Phofsit Daibuun: taxm
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /tʰam⁴¹/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /tʰam²¹/
*** IPA (Taipei): /tʰam¹¹/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tham
*** Tâi-lô: tham
*** Phofsit Daibuun: tafm
*** IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /tʰam⁴⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: tam$^3$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thàm
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰam²¹³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$thoe
*** MiniDict: thoe$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$thoe
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /tʰø³⁴/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: tan$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /tʰan⁴⁵/
* Middle Chinese: thom
Rime :
| Character | 探 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 透 (6) |
| Final (韻) | 覃 (159) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 他含切 |
| Baxter | thom |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /tʰʌm/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /tʰəm/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /tʰɒm/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /tʰəm/ |
| Li Rong | /tʰᴀm/ |
| Wang Li | /tʰɒm/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /tʰăm/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | tān |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | taam$^1$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*l̥ˤ[ə]m/
    (Zhengzhang): /*l̥ʰuːm/, /*l̥ʰuːms/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 探 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | tān |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ thom › |
| Old Chinese | /*l̥ˁ[ə]m/ |
| English | put the hand into and test |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. ||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 探 | 探 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| No. | 11249 | 11250 |
| Phonetic component | 罙 | 罙 |
| Rime group | 侵 | 侵 |
| Rime subdivision | 3 | 3 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 探 | 僋 |
| Old Chinese | /*l̥ʰuːm/ | /*l̥ʰuːms/ |

### Definitions

探
* to reach for; to grope for
* to find; to locate
* to search; to explore
* to inquire
* to visit
* to scout; to spy
* spy
* to try
* to extend; to stretch out

### Compounds

* 一探究竟
* 伺探
* 伸頭探腦 / 伸头探脑
* 偵探 / 侦探 (zhēntàn)
* 偵探小說 / 侦探小说
* 刺探 (cìtàn)
* 勘探 (kāntàn)
* 包探 (bāotàn)
* 哨探
* 喝探
* 四郎探母
* 太空探險 / 太空探险
* 密探 (mìtàn)
* 巴頭探腦 / 巴头探脑 (bātóutànnǎo)
* 打探 (dǎtàn)
* 扒頭探腦 / 扒头探脑
* 探丸
* 探事人
* 探信
* 探候
* 探個究竟 / 探个究竟
* 探傷 / 探伤
* 探先
* 探刺
* 探勘 (tànkān)
* 探友
* 探取
* 探口氣 / 探口气
* 探口風 / 探口风
* 探員 / 探员 (tànyuán)
* 探問 / 探问 (tànwèn)
* 探喪 / 探丧
* 探囊 (tànnáng)
* 探囊取物 (tànnáng qǔ wù)
* 探囊胠篋 / 探囊胠箧
* 探奇窮異 / 探奇穷异
* 探奇訪勝 / 探奇访胜
* 探奧索隱 / 探奥索隐
* 探子 (tànzi)
* 探察 (tànchá)
* 探尋 / 探寻 (tànxún)
* 探尋勝跡 / 探寻胜迹
* 探幽窮賾 / 探幽穷赜
* 探幽索隱 / 探幽索隐
* 探底 (tàndǐ)
* 探悉
* 探戈
* 探房
* 探手
* 探春
* 探春之宴
* 探望 (tànwàng)
* 探本溯源
* 探本窮源 / 探本穷源
* 探查 (tànchá)
* 探檢 / 探检
* 探求 (tànqiú)
* 探海 (tànhǎi)
* 探消息
* 探海轉 / 探海转
* 探淵索珠 / 探渊索珠
* 探測 / 探测 (tàncè)
* 探湯 / 探汤
* 探測船 / 探测船
* 探源 (tànyuán)
* 探照燈 / 探照灯 (tànzhàodēng)
* 探爪兒 / 探爪儿
* 探班 (tànbān)
* 探異玩奇 / 探异玩奇
* 探病 (tànbìng)
* 探監 / 探监 (tànjiān)
* 探看 (tànkàn)
* 探知 (tànzhī)
* 探礦 / 探矿 (tànkuàng)
* 探視 / 探视 (tànshì)
* 探究 (tànjiū)
* 探竿影草
* 探籌 / 探筹
* 探索 (tànsuǒ)
* 探細人 / 探细人
* 探聽 / 探听 (tàntīng)
* 探腰
* 探花 (tànhuā)
* 探花宴
* 探花郎
* 探虎口
* 探親 / 探亲 (tànqīn)
* 探親家 / 探亲家
* 探討 / 探讨 (tàntǎo)
* 探訪 / 探访 (tànfǎng)
* 探詢 / 探询 (tànxún)
* 探賾索微 / 探赜索微
* 探賾索隱 / 探赜索隐
* 探路 (tànlù)
* 探身 (tànshēn)
* 探身子
* 探軍 / 探军
* 探軍人 / 探军人
* 探鉤 / 探钩
* 探陰山 / 探阴山
* 探險 / 探险 (tànxiǎn)
* 探險家 / 探险家
* 探頭 / 探头 (tàntóu)
* 探頭探腦 / 探头探脑 (tàntóutànnǎo)
* 探頭縮腦 / 探头缩脑
* 探頭舒腦 / 探头舒脑
* 探題 / 探题
* 探風聲 / 探风声
* 探馬 / 探马 (tànmǎ)
* 探騎 / 探骑
* 探驪得珠 / 探骊得珠
* 探驪獲珠 / 探骊获珠
* 探鬮 / 探阄
* 星探 (xīngtàn)
* 暗探 (àntàn)
* 樂探 / 乐探
* 深探海
* 狗探湯 / 狗探汤
* 眺探
* 研幾探賾 / 研几探赜
* 祕探 / 秘探
* 窺探 / 窥探 (kuītàn)
* 細探人 / 细探人
* 討探 / 讨探
* 試探 / 试探
* 警探 (jǐngtàn)
* 踅探
* 迴聲探測 / 回声探测
* 遙感探測 / 遥感探测
* 鑽探 / 钻探 (zuāntàn)
* 體探 / 体探

### Descendants

* → Vietnamese: thăm

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)
* look for

#### Readings

* Go-on: とん (ton)
* Kan-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)
* Kun: さがす (sagasu, 探す, Jōyō)、さぐる (saguru, 探る, Jōyō)

### Suffix

探(たん) • (-tan)
* (archaic) spy from (a country)
** 1947, Ango Sakaguchi, 『二十七歳』
    独(どく)探(たん)のケンギを受(う)けて、大(たい)正(しょう)五(ご)年(ねん)だかに国(こく)外(がい)退(たい)去(きょ)を命(めい)じられたという。
       Doku-tan no kengi o ukete, Taishō go-nen daka ni kokugai taikyo o meijirareta to iu.
       [He was] accused of being a German spy and was officially deported in some time around 1916, as the story goes.

## Korean
### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 探 (MC thom). Recorded as Middle Korean 탐 (tham) (Yale: tham) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

### Hanja

Wikisource 探 (eumhun 찾을 탐 (chajeul tam))
* hanja form of 탐 (“search”)

#### Compounds

* 시탐 (試探, sitam)
* 염탐 (廉探, yeomtam)
* 정탐 (偵探, jeongtam)
* 탐구 (探求, tamgu)
* 탐구 (探究, tamgu)
* 탐문 (探問, tammun)
* 탐방 (探訪, tambang)
* 탐사 (探査, tamsa)
* 탐색 (探索, tamsaek)
* 탐정 (探偵, tamjeong)
* 탐지 (探知, tamji)
* 탐험 (探險, tamheom)

### References

* 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

探: Hán Nôm readings: thám, phăm, thăm, thớm, xăm, xom, tham
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.